Classic and Contemporary Poetry
BELIEVE AS YOU LIST, by PHILIP MASSINGER Poet's Biography First Line: So far our author is from arrogance Last Line: Despoil him of his money, jewels, and rich garments. | ||||||||
PROLOGUE. SO far our author is from arrogance That he craves pardon for his ignorance In story. If you find what's Roman here, Grecian, or Asiatic, draw too near A late and sad example, 'tis confessed He's but an English scholar at his best, A stranger to cosmography, and may err In the countries' names, the shape and character Of the persons he presents. Yet he is bold In me to promise, be it new or old, The tale is worth the hearing; and may move Compassion, perhaps deserve your love And approbation. He dares not boast His pains and care, or what books he hath tossed And turned to make it up. The rarity Of the events in this strange history, Now offered to you, by his own confession, Must make it good, and not his weak expression. You sit his judges, and like judges be From favour to his cause, or malice, free; Then, whether he hath hit the white or missed, As the title speaks, Believe you as you list. DRAMATIS PERSONÆ ANTIOCHUS, King of the Lower Asia. TITUS FLAMINIUS, Roman Ambassador at Carthage. LENTULUS, Successor of FLAMINIUS at Carthage. METELLUS, Proconsul of Lusitania. MARCELLUS, Proconsul of Sicily. AMILCAR, Prince of the Carthaginian Senate. HANNO, Carthaginian Senator. ASDRUBAL, Carthaginian Senator. CARTHALO, Carthaginian Senator. PRUSIAS, King of Bithynia. PHILOXENUS, his Minister and Tutor. BERECINTHIUS, a Flamen of Cybele. 1st Merchant, former Subject of ANTIOCHUS. 2nd Merchant, former Subject of ANTIOCHUS. 3rd Merchant, former Subject of ANTIOCHUS. CALISTUS, Freedmen of FLAMINIUS. DEMETRIUS, TITUS, a Spy in the service of FLAMINIUS. CHRYSALUS, Servant of ANTIOCHUS. SYRUS, Servant of ANTIOCHUS. GETA, Servant of ANTIOCHUS. SEMPRONIUS, a Captain. A Stoic Philosopher. A Jailor. Senators, Captain, Officers, Guards, Attendants, &c. Queen of PRUSIAS. CORNELIA, Wife of MARCELLUS. A Courtezan. A Moorish Waiting-woman. SCENECARTHAGE, BITHYNIA, CALLIPOLIS, and SYRACUSE. ACT THE FIRST. SCENE I.The neighbourhood of Carthage. Enter ANTIOCHUS and a Stoic Philosopher. STOIC. You are now in sight of Carthage, that great city, Which, in her empire's vastness, rivals Rome At her proud height; two hours will bring you thither. Make use of what you have learned in your long travels, And from the golden principles read to you In the Athenian Academy, stand resolved For either fortune. You must now forget The contemplations of a private man, And put in action that which may comply With the majesty of a monarch. Ant. How that title, That glorious attribute of majesty, That troublesome though most triumphant robe Designed me in my birth, which I have worn With terror and astonishment to others, Affrights me now! O memory, memory Of what I was once, when the Eastern world With wonder, in my May of youth, looked on me; Ambassadors of the most potent kings, With noble emulation, contending To court my friendship, their fair daughters offered As pledges to assure it, with all pomp And circumstance of glory; Rome herself, And Carthage, emulous whose side I should Confirm in my protection! O remembrance! With what ingenious cruelty and tortures, Out of a due consideration of My present low and desperate condition, Dost thou afflict me now! Stoic. You must oppose (For so the Stoic discipline commands you) That wisdom, with your patience fortified, Which holds dominion over fate, against The torrent of your passion. Ant. I should, I do confess I should, if I could drink up That river of forgetfulness poets dream of: But still in dreadful forms, (philosophy wanting Power to remove them,) all those innocent spirits, Borrowing again their bodies, gashed with wounds, Which strowed Achaia's bloody plains, and made Rivulets of gore, appear to me, exacting A strict account of my ambition's folly, For the exposing of twelve thousand souls, Who fell that fatal day, to certain ruin; Neither the counsel of the Persian king Prevailing with me, nor the grave advice Of my wise enemy, Marcus Scaurus, hindering My desperate enterprise, too late repented. Methinks I now look on my butchered army_____ Stoic. This is mere melancholy. Ant. O, 'tis more, sir; Here, there, and everywhere they do pursue me. The genius of my country, made a slave, Like a weeping mother, seems to kneel before me, Wringing her manacled hands; the hopeful youth And bravery of my kingdom, in their pale And ghastly looks, lamenting that they were Too soon by my means forced from their sweet being; Old ... sper with his fierce beams nour .... e in vain Their olives and .......... Trained up in all delights, or sacred to The chaste Diana's rites, compelled to bow to The soldier's lusts, or at an outcry sold Under the spear like beasts, to be spurned and trod on By their proud mistresses, the Roman matrons! O, sir, consider then if it can be In the constancy of a Stoic to endure What now I suffer. Stoic. Two and twenty years Travelling o'er the world, you have paid the forfeit Of this engagement; shed a sea of tears In your sorrow for it; and now, being called from The rigour of a strict philosopher's life By the cries of your poor country, you are bound With an obedient cheerfulness to follow The path that you are entered in, which will Guide you out of a wilderness of horror To the flourishing plains of safety, the just gods Smoothing the way before you. Ant. Though I grant That all impossibilities are easy To their omnipotence, give me leave to fear The more than doubtful issue. Can it fall In the compass of my hopes, the lordly Romans, So long possessed of Asia, their plea Made good by conquest, and that ratified With their religious authority, The propagation of the commonwealth, To whose increase they are sworn to, will e'er part with A prey so precious, and dearly purchased? A tigress circled with her famished whelps Will sooner yield a lamb, snatched from the flock, To the dumb oratory of the ewe Than Rome restore one foot of earth that may Diminish her vast empire. Stoic. In her will, This may be granted; but you have a title So strong and clear that there's no colour left To varnish Rome's pretences. Add this, sir: The Asian princes, warned by your example, And yet unconquered, never will consent That such a foul example of injustice Shall, to the scandal of the present age, Hereafter be recorded. They in this Are equally engaged with you, and must, Though not in love to justice, for their safety, In policy assist, guard, and protect you. And you may rest assured neither the king Of Parthia, the Gauls, nor big-boned Germans, Nor this great Carthage, grown already jealous Of Rome's encroaching empire, will cry aim To such an usurpation, which must Take from their own security. Besides, Your mother was a Roman; for her sake, And the families from which she is derived, You must find favour. Ant. For her sake! Alas, sir, Ambition knows no kindred; "right and lawful" Was never yet found as a marginal note In the black book of profit. I am sunk Too low to be buoyed up, it being held A foolish weakness and disease in statists, In favour of a weak man, to provoke Such as are mighty. The imperious waves Of my calamities have already fallen ............ ll unravel^1^ [Exeunt all but ANTIOCHUS. Ant .............. ..... opes despair with sable wings ....... ore my head; the gold with which ..... us furnished me to supply my wants ... made my first appearance like myself ..... s disloyal villains ravished from me. Wretch that I was to tempt their abject minds With such a purchase! Can I, in this weed, And without gold to fee an advocate To plead my royal title, nourish hope Of a recovery? Forlorn majesty, Wanting the outward gloss and ceremony To give it lustre, meets no more respect Than knowledge with the ignorant. Ha! what is Contained in this waste paper? 'Tis endorsed "To the no-king Antiochus"; and subscribed "No more thy servant, but superior, Chrysalus." What am I fallen to? There is something writ more. Why this small piece of silver? What I read may Reveal the mystery:"Forget thou wert ever Called King Antiochus. With this charity I enter thee a beggar." Too tough heart, Will nothing break thee? O that now I stood On some high pyramid, from whence I might Be seen by the whole world, and with a voice Louder than thunder pierce the ears of proud And secure greatness with the true relation Of my remarkable story, that my fall Might not be fruitless, but still live the great Example of man's frailty. I that was Born and bred up a king, whose frown or smile Spake death or life, my will a law, my person Environed with an army, now exposed To the contempt and scorn of my own slave, Who in his pride, as a god compared with me, Bids me become a beggar! But complaints Are weak and womanish: I will, like a palm-tree, Grow under my huge weight; nor shall the fear Of death or torture that dejection bring, To make me live or die less than a king. [Exit. SCENE II.A Street in Carthage. Enter BERECINTHIUS, with three petitions, and three Merchants of Asia. 1st Mer. We are grown so contemptible he disdains To give us hearing. 2nd Mer. Keeps us off at such distance, And with his Roman gravity declines Our suit for conference, as with much more ease We might make our approaches to the Parthian, Without a present, than work him to have A feeling of our grievances. 3rd Mer. A statesman! The devil, I think, who only knows him truly, Can give his character. When he is to determine A point of justice, his words fall in measure Like plummets of a clock, observing time And just proportion. 1st Mer. But when he is To speak in any cause concerns himself, Or Rome's republic, like a gushing torrent, Not to be stopped in its full course, his reasons, Delivered like a second Mercury, Break in, and bear down whatsoever is Opposed against them. 2nd Mer. When he smiles, let such Beware as have to do with him, for then, Sans doubt, he's bent to mischief. Bere. As I am Cybele's flamen (whose most sacred image, Drawn thus in pomp, I wear upon my breast), I am privileged, nor is it in his power To do me wrong; and he shall find I can Think, and aloud too, when I am not at Her altar kneeling. Mother of the gods! what is he? At his best but a patrician of Rome, His name Titus Flaminius; and speak mine, Berecinthius, arch-flamen to Cybele, It makes as great a sound. 3rd Mer. True; but his place, sir, And the power it carries in it, as Rome's legate, Gives him pre-eminence o'er you. Bere. Not an atom. When moral honesty and jus gentium fail To lend relief to such as are oppressed, Religion must use her strength. I am perfect In these notes you gave me. Do they contain at full Your grievances and losses? Ist Mer. Would they were As well redressed, as they are punctually Delivered to you. Bere. Say no more; they shall, And to the purpose. 2nd Mer. Here he comes. Bere. Have at him! Enter FLAMINIUS, CALISTUS, and DEMETRIUS. Flam. Blow away these troublesome and importunate drones; I have embryons of greater consequence In my imaginations, to which I must give life and form, not now vouchsafing To hear their idle buzzes. 2nd Mer. Note you that? Bere. Yes, I do note it; but the flamen is not So light to be removed by a groom's breath: I must and will speak, and I thus confront him. Flam. But that the image of the goddess which Thou wear'st upon thy breast protects thy rudeness, It had forfeited thy life. Dost thou not tremble When an incensèd Roman frowns? Bere. I see No Gorgon in your face. Flam. Must I speak in thunder Before thou wilt be awed? Bere. I rather look For reverence from thee, if thou respectest The goddess' power, and in her name I charge thee To give me hearing. If these lions roar, For thy contempt of her expect a vengeance Suitable to thy pride. Flam. Thou shalt o'ercome; There's no contending with thee. 3rd Mer. Hitherto The flamen hath the better. Ist Mer. But I fear He will not keep it. Bere. Know you these men's faces? Flam. Yes, yes, poor Asiatics. Bere. Poor! they are made so By your Roman tyranny and oppression. Flam. ............ If arrogantly you presume to take The Roman government, your goddess cannot Give privilege to it, and you'll find and feel 'Tis little less than treason, flamen. Bere. Truth In your pride is so interpreted: these poor men, These Asiatic merchants, whom you look on With such contempt and scorn, are they to whom Rome owes her bravery; their industrious search To the farthest Ind, with danger to themselves Brings home security to you unthankful; Your magazines are from their sweat supplied; The legions with which you fright the world Are from their labour paid; the Tyrian fish, Whose blood dyes your proud purple in the colour Distinguishing the senator's garded robe From a plebeian habit, their nets catch; The diamond hewed from the rock, the pearl Dived for into the bottom of the sea, The sapphire, ruby, jacinth, amber, coral, And all rich ornaments of your Latian dames Are Asian spoils. They are indeed the nurses And sinews of your war, and without them What could you do?Your handkercher_____ Flam. Wipe your face; You are in a sweat: the weather's hot; take heed Of melting your fat kidneys. Bere. There's no heat Can thaw thy frozen conscience. Flam. To it again now; I am not moved. Bere. I see it. If you had The feeling of a man you would not suffer These men, who have deserved so well, to sink Under the burthen of their wrongs. If they Are subjects, why enjoy they not the right And privilege of subjects? What defence Can you allege for your connivance to The Carthaginian galleys, who forced from them The prize they took, belonging not to them Nor their confederates? Flam. With reverence To your so sacred goddess, I must tell you You are grown presumptuous; and, in your demands, A rash and saucy flamen. Meddle with Your juggling mysteries, and keep in awe Your gelded ministers. Shall I yield account Of what I do to you? Ist Mer. He smiles in frown. 2nd Mer. Nay, then, I know what follows. 3rd Mer. In his looks A tempest rises. Flam. How dare you complain, Or in a look repine? Our government Hath been too easy, and the yoke which Rome In her accustomed lenity imposed Upon your stubborn necks begets contempt. Hath our familiar commerce and trading, Almost as with our equals, taught you to Dispute our actions? Have you quite forgot What we are, and you ought to be? Shall vassals Capitulate with their lords? 2nd Mer. I vow he speaks In his own dialect. Flam. 'Tis too frequent, wretches, To have the vanquished hate the conqueror, And from us needs no answer. Do not I know How odious the lordly Roman is To the despisèd Asian; and that To gain your liberty you would pull down The altars of your gods, and, like the giants, Raise a new war 'gainst Heaven? Ist Mer. Terrible. Flam. Did you not give assurance of this, when Giddy Antiochus died? and, rather than Accept us guardians of your orphan kingdom, When the victorious Scaurus with his sword Pleaded the Roman title, with our vote, You did exclaim against us as the men That sought to lay an unjust gripe upon Your territories; ne'er remembering that In the brass-leaved book of fate it was set down The earth should know no sovereign but Rome: Yet you repined, and rather chose to pay Homage and fealty to the Parthian, The Egyptian Ptolemy, or indeed any, Than bow unto the Roman. Bere. And perhaps Our government in them had been more gentle, Since yours is insupportable. Flam. If thou wert not In a free state, the tongue that belcheth forth These blasphemies should be seared.For you, presume not [To the Merchants. To trouble me hereafter. If you do, You shall with horror to your proudest hopes Feel really that we have iron hammers To pulverize rebellion, and that We dare use you as slaves.Be you, too, warned, sir, [To BERECINTHIUS. Since this is my last caution. I have seen A murmurer, like yourself, for his attempting To raise sedition in Rome's provinces, Hanged up in such a habit. [Exeunt FLAMINIUS, CALISTUS, and DEMETRIUS. Bere. I have took Poison in at my ears, and I shall burst If it come not up in my reply. Ist Mer. He's gone, sir. Bere. He durst not stay me. If he had, had found I would not swallow my spittle. 2nd Mer. As we must Our wrongs and our disgraces. 3rd Mer. O, the wretched Condition that we live in; made the anvil On which Rome's tyrannies are shaped and fashioned! 1st Mer. But our calamities there's nothing left us Which we can call our own. 2nd Mer. Our wives and daughters Lie open to their lusts, and such as should be Our judges dare not right us. 3rd Mer. O Antiochus! Thrice happy were the men whom fate appointed To fall with thee in Achaia. 2nd Mer. They have set A period to their miseries. 1st Mer. We survive To linger out a tedious life; and death We call in vain what flies us. Bere. If religion Be not a mere word only, and the gods Are just, we shall find a delivery When least expected. 1st Mer. 'Tis beyond all hope, sir. Enter ANTIOCHUS. Bere. Ha! who is this? Ant. Your charity to a poor man, As you are Asians. 2nd Mer. Pray you observe him. 3rd Mer. I am amazed! 1st Mer. I thunderstruck! Bere. What are you? Ant. The King Antiochus. 2nd Mer. Or some deity That hath assumed his shape? Bere. He only differs In the colour of his hair, and age. Ant. Consider What two and twenty years of misery Can work upon a wretch, that long time spent too Under distant zeniths, and the change you look on Will not deserve your wonder. 1st Mer. His own voice. 2nd Mer. His very countenance, his forehead, eyes. 3rd Mer. His nose, his very lip. Bere. His stature, speech. 1st Mer. His very hand, leg, and foot, on the left side Shorter than on the right 2nd Mer. The moles upon His face and hands. 3rd Mer. The scars caused by his hurts On his right brow and head. Bere. The hollowness Of his under-jaw, occasioned by the loss Of a tooth pulled out by his chirurgion. 1st Mer. To confirm us, Tell us your chirurgion's name, when he served you. Ant. You all knew him, As I do you: Demetrius Castor. 2nd Mer. Strange! 3rd Mer. But most infallibly true. Bere. So many marks Confirming us, we owe, in our distrust, A sacrifice for his safety. 1st Mer. May Rome smile! 2nd Mer. And Asia once more flourish! 3rd Mer. You the means, sir! Ant. Silence your shouts: I will give stronger proofs Than these exterior marks when I appear Before the Carthaginian senators, With whom I have held more intelligence And private counsels than with all the kings Of Asia or Afric: I'll amaze them With the wonder of my story. Bere. Yet, until Your majesty be furnished like yourself, To a neighbour village_____ Ant. Where you please. The omen Of this encounter promises a good issue: And, our gods pleased, oppressèd Asia. When aid is least expected, may shake off The insulting Roman bondage, and in me Gain and enjoy her pristine liberty. [Exeunt. ACT THE SECOND. SCENE I.Carthage. A Room in the House of FLAMINIUS. Enter FLAMINIUS and CALISTUS. FLAM. A man that styles himself Antiochus, say you? Cal. Not alone styled so, but as such received And honoured by the Asians. Flam. Two impostors, For their pretension to that fatal name, Already have paid dear; nor shall this third Escape unpunished. Cal. 'Twill exact your wisdom With an Herculean arm (the cause requires it) To strangle this new monster in the birth. For, on my life, he hath delivered to The credulous multitude such reasons why They should believe he is the true Antiochus That, with their gratulations for his safety, And wishes for his restitution, many Offer the hazard of their lives and fortunes To do him service. Flam. Poor seducèd fools! However, 'tis a business of such weight I must not sleep in't. Is he now in Carthage? Cal. No, sir; removed to a grange some two miles off; And there the malcontents, and such whose wants With forfeited credits make them wish a change Of the Roman government, in troops flock to him, Flam. With one puffthusI will disperse and scatter This heap of dust. Here, take my ring: by this Entreat my friend Amilcar to procure A mandate from the Carthaginian senate For the apprehension of this impostor, And with all possible speed. [Exit CALISTUS.] Howe'er I know The rumour of Antiochus' death uncertain, It much imports the safety of great Rome To have it so believed. Enter DEMETRIUS. Dem. There wait without Three fellows I ne'er saw before, who much Importune their access. They swear they bring Business along with them that deserves your ear, It being for the safety of the republic, And quiet of the provinces. They are full Of gold; I have felt their bounty. Flam. Such are welcome; Give them admittance. [Exit DEMETRIUS.] In this various play Of state and policy, there's no property But may be useful. Re-enter DEMETRIUS, with CHRYSALUS, GETA, and SYRUS. Now, friends, what design Carries you to me? Geta. My most honoured lord_____ Syr. May it please your mightiness_____ Flam. Let one speak for all; I cannot brook this discord. Chrys. As our duties Command us, noble Roman, having discovered A dreadful danger, with the nimble wings Of speed, approaching to the state of Rome, We hold it fit you should have the first notice, That you may have the honour to prevent it. Flam. I thank you; but instruct me what form wears The danger that you speak of. Chrys. It appears In the shape of King Antiochus. Flam. How! is he Rose from the dead? Chrys. Alas! he never died, sir; He at this instant lives; the more the pity He should survive, to the disturbance of Rome's close and politic counsels, in the getting Possession of his kingdom, which he would Recover (simple as he is) the plain And downright way of justice. Flam. Very likely. But how are you assured this is Antiochus, And not a counterfeit? Answer that. Chrys. I served him In the Achaian war, where, his army routed, And the warlike Romans hot in their execution, To shun their fury he and his minions were (Having cast off their glorious armour) forced To hide themselves as dead, with fear and horror, Among the slaughtered carcases. I lay by them, And rose with them at midnight. Then retiring Unto their ships, we sailed to Corinth; thence To India, where he spent many years With their gymnosophists. There I waited on him, And came thence with him; but, at length, tired out With an unrewarded service, and affrighted In my imagination with the dangers, Or rather certain ruins, in pursuing His more than desperate fortunes, we forsook him. Flam. A wise and politic fellow! Give me thy hand. Thou art sure of this? Chrys. As of my life. Flam. And this is Known only to you three? Chrys. There's no man lives else To witness it. Flam. The better: but inform me, And, as you would oblige me to you, truly, Where did you leave him? Syr. For the payment of Our long and tedious travel, we made bold To rifle him. Flam. Good! Geta. And, so disabling him Of means to claim his right, we hope despair Hath made him hang himself. Flam. It had been safer If you had done it for him. But, as 'tis, You are honest men. You have revealed this secret To no man but myself? Chrys. Nor ever will. Flam. [Aside.] I will take order that you never shall. And, since you have been true unto the state, I'll keep you so. I am e'en now considering How to advance you. Chrys. What a pleasant smile His honour throws upon us! Geta. We are made. Flam. And now 'tis found out. That no danger may Come near you, should the robbery be discovered, Which the Carthaginian laws, you know, call death, My house shall be your sanctuary. Syr. There's a favour! Flam. And that our entertainment come not short Of your deservings, I commit you to My secretary's care.See that they want not, Among their other delicates_____ Chrys. Mark that! Flam. [Aside to DEMETRIUS.] A sublimated pill of mercury, For sugar to their wine. Dem. I understand you. Flam. Attend these honest men, as if they were Made Roman citizens; and be sure, at night, I may see them well-lodged.Dead in the vault, I mean: Their gold is thy reward. [Aside to DEMETRIUS. Dem. Believe it done, sir. Flam. And when 'tis known how I have recompensed (Though you were treacherous to your own king) The service done to Rome, I hope that others Will follow your example. Enter, friends; I'll so provide that when you next come forth You shall not fear who sees you. Chrys. Was there ever So sweet a tempered Roman? Flam. You shall find it. [Exeunt all but FLAMINIUS. Ha! what's the matter? Do I feel a sting here, For what is done to these poor snakes? My reason Will easily remove it. That assures me, That, as I am a Roman, to preserve And propagate her empire, though they were My father's sons, they must not live to witness Antiochus is in being. The relation The villain made, in every circumstance Appeared so like to truth, that I began To feel an inclination to believe What I must have no faith in. By my birth I am bound to serve thee, Rome, and what I do Necessity of state compels me to. [Exit. SCENE II.The Senate Hall in Carthage. Enter AMILCAR, HANNO, ASDRUBAL, CARTHALO, Senators, and Attendants. Amil. To steer a middle course 'twixt these extremes Exacts our serious care. Han. I know not which way I should incline. Amil. The reasons this man urges, To prove himself Antiochus, are so pregnant, And the attestation of his countrymen In every circumstance so punctual, As not to show him our compassion were A kind of barbarous cruelty. Car. Under correction, Give me leave to speak my thoughts. We are bound to weigh Not what we should do in the point of honour, Swayed by our pity, but what may be done With the safety of the state. Asd. Which is, indeed, The main consideration; for, grant This is the true Antiochus, without danger, Nay, almost certain ruin to ourselves, We cannot yield him favour or protection. Han. We have feared and felt the Roman power, and must Expect, if we provoke him, a return Not limited to the quality of the offence, But left at large to his interpretation, Which seldom is confined. Who knows not that The tribute Rome receives from Asia is Her chief supportance? other provinces Hardly defray the charge by which they are Kept in subjection. They, in name, perhaps, Render the Roman terrible; but his strength And power to do hurt, without question, is Derived from Asia. And can we hope, then, That such as lend their aids to force it from them Will be held for less than capital enemies, And as such pursued and punished? Car. I could wish We were well rid of him. Asd. The surest course Is to deliver him into the hands Of bold Flaminius. Han. And so oblige Rome, for a matchless benefit. Amil. If my power Were absolute, as 'tis but titular, And that confined too, being by you elected Prince of the Senate only for a year, I would oppose your counsels, and not labour With arguments to confute them; yet, however, Though a fellow-patriot with you, let it not savour Of usurpation, though in my opinion I cross you abler judgments. Call to mind Our grandsires' glories (though not seconded With a due imitation), and remember With what expense of coin, as blood, they did Maintain their liberty, and kept the scale Of empire even 'twixt Carthage and proud Rome; And, though the Punic faith is branded by Our enemies, our confederates and friends Found it as firm as fate; and seventeen kings, Our feodaries, our strengths upon the sea Exceeding theirs, and our land soldiers In number far above theirs, though inferior In arms and discipline (to our shame we speak it); And then for our cavallery, in the champaign How often have they brake their piles, and routed Their coward legions! Han. This, I grant, sir, is not To be contradicted. Amil. If so, as we find it In our records, and that this state hath been The sanctuary to which mighty kings Have fled to for protection, and found it, Let it not to posterity be told That we so far degenerate from the race We are derived as, in a servile fear Of the Roman power, in a kind to play the bawds To their ravenous lusts, by yielding up a man, That wears the shape of our confederate, To their devouring gripe, whose strong assurance Of our integrity and impartial doom Hath made this seat his altar. Car. I join with you In this opinion, but no farther than It may be done with safety. Asd. In his ruins To bury ourselves, you needs must grant to be An inconsiderate pity, no way suiting With a wise man's reason. Car. Let us face to face Hear the accuser and accused, and then, As either's arguments work on us, determine As the respect of our security Or honour shall invite us. Amil. [To an Attendant.] From the Senate, Entreat the Roman, Titus Flaminius, To assist us with his counsel. Han. And let the prisoner Be brought into the court. [Exit Attendant. Amil. The gods of Carthage Direct us to the right way! Enter FLAMINIUS. Asd. With what gravity He does approach us! Car. As he would command, Not argue his desires. Amil. May it please your lordship To take your place? Flam. In civil courtesy, As I am Titus Flaminius, I may thank you; But, sitting here as Rome's ambassador, (In which you are honoured,) to instruct you in Her will (which you are bound to serve, not argue), I must not borrowthat were poorbut take, As a tribute due to her that's justly styled The mistress of this earthly globe, the boldness To reprehend your slow progression in Doing her greatness right. That she believes, In me, that this impostor was suborned By the conquered Asiatics, in their hopes Of future liberty, to usurp the name Of dead Antiochus, should satisfy Your scrupulous doubts; all proofs beyond this being Merely superfluous. Car. My lord, my lord, You trench too much upon us. Asd. We are not Led by an implicit faith. Han. Nor, though we would Preserve Rome's amity, must not yield up The freedom of our wills and judgments to Quit or condemn as we shall be appointed By her imperious pleasure. Car. We confess not, Nor ever will, she hath a power above us: Carthage is still her equal. Amil. If you can Prove this man an impostor, he shall suffer As he deserves; if not, you shall perceive You have no empire here. Han. Call in the prisoner; Then, as you please, confront him. Flam. This neglect Hereafter will be thought on. Amil. We shall stand The danger howsoever. When we did, His cause unheard, at your request commit This king or this impostor, you received More favour than we owed you. Officer. [Within.] Room for the prisoner. Enter ANTIOCHUS, habited like a king, BERECINTHIUS, the three Merchants, and a Guard. Ant. This shape that you have put me in suits ill With the late austereness of my life. Bere. Fair gloss Wrongs not the richest stuff, but sets it off; And let your language, high and stately, speak you, As you were born, a king. Ant. Health to the Senate! We do suppose your duties done; sit still. Titus Flaminius, we remember you: As you are a public minister from Rome You may sit covered. Flam. How! Ant. But as we are A potent king, in whose court you have waited And sought our favour, you betray your pride, And the more than saucy rudeness of your manners. A bended knee, remembering what we are, Much better would become you. Flam. Ha! Ant. We said it; But fall from our own height to hold discourse With a thing so far beneath us. Bere. Admirable! Amil. The Roman looks as he had seen the wolf. How his confidence awes him! Asd. Be he what he will, He bears himself like a king; and I must tell you I am amazed too. Ant. Are we so transformed From what we were, since our disaster in The Grecian enterprise, that you gaze upon us As some strange prodigy ne'er seen in Afric? Antiochus speaks to you, the King Antiochus, And challenges a retribution in His entertainment of the love and favours Extended to you. Call to memory Your true friend and confederate, who refused In his respect to you the proffered amity Of the Roman people. Hath this vile enchanter Environed me with such thick clouds in your Erroneous belief, from his report That I was long since dead, that, being present, The beams of majesty cannot break through The foggy mists raised by his wicked charms, To lend you light to know me? I cite you, My Lord Amilcarnow I look on you As prince of the Senate, but, when you were less, I have seen you in my court, assisted by Grave Hanno, Asdrubal, and Carthalo, The pillars of the Carthaginian greatness: I know you all. Antiochus ne'er deserved To be thus slighted. Amil. Not so; we in you Look on the figure of the King Antiochus, But, without stronger proofs than yet you have Produced to make us think so, cannot hear you But as a man suspected. Ant. Of what guilt? Flam. Of subornation and imposture. Ant. Silence This fellow's saucy tongue. O majesty! How soon a short eclipse hath made thy splendour, As it had never shined on these, forgotten! But you refuse to hear me as a king; Deny not yet, in justice, what you grant To common men,free liberty without His interruption (having heard what he Objects against me) to acquit myself Of that which, in his malice, I am charged with. Amil. You have it. Ant. As my present fortune wills me, I thank your goodness. Rise, thou cursèd agent Of mischief, and accumulate in one heap All engines by the devil thy tutor fashioned To ruin innocence; in poison steep Thy bloodied tongue, and let thy words, as full Of bitterness as malice, labour to Seduce these noble hearers; make me, in Thy coinèd accusation, guilty of Such crimes whose names my innocence ne'er knew, I'll stand the charge; and when that thou hast shot All arrows in thy quiver, feathered with Slanders, and aimed with cruelty, in vain, My truth, though yet concealed, the mountains of Thy glossèd fictions in her strength removed, Shall in a glorious shape appear, and show Thy painted mistress, Falsehood, when stripped bare Of borrowed and adulterate colours, in Her own shape and deformity. Bere. I am ravished! 1st Mer. O more than royal sir! Amil. Forbear. 2nd Mer. The monster Prepares to speak. Bere. And still that villainous smile Ushers his following mischiefs. Flam. Since the assurance, From one of my place, quality, and rank, Is not sufficient with you to suppress This bold seductor, to acquit our state From the least tyrannous imputation, I will forget awhile I am a Roman, Whose arguments are warranted by his sword, And not filed from his tongue. This creature here, That styles himself Antiochus, I know For an apostata Jew, though others say He is a cheating Greek called Pseudolus, And keeps a whore in Corinth. But I'll come To real proofs; reports and rumours being Subjects unsuitable with my gravity To speak, or yours to hear. 'Tis most apparent The King Antiochus was slain in Greece; His body, at his subjects' suit, delivered; His ashes from the funeral pile raked up, And in a golden urn preserved, and kept In the royal monument of the Asian kings, Such was the clemency of Marcus Scaurus, The Roman conqueror, whose triumph was Graced only with his statue. But suppose He had survived (which is impossible) Can it fall in the compass of your reason That this impostor (if he were the man Which he with impudence affirms he is) Would have wandered two and twenty tedious years Like a vagabond o'er the world, and not have tried Rome's mercy as a suppliant? Han. Shrewd suspicions. Flam. A mason of Callipolis, heretofore, Presumed as far, and was, like this impostor, By slavish Asians followed; and a second, A Cretan of a base condition, did Maintain the like. All ages have been furnished With such as have usurped upon the names And persons of dead princes. Is it not As evident as the day this wretch, instructed By these poor Asians (sworn enemies To the majesty of Rome), but personates The dead Antiochus, hired to it by these To stir up a rebellion, which they call Delivery or restoring? And will you, Who, for your wisdom, are esteemed the sages And oracles of Afric, meddle in The affairs of this affronter, which no monarch Less rash and giddy than Antiochus was Would undertake? Ant. Would I were dead indeed, Rather than hear this, living! Flam. I confess He hath some marks of King Antiochus, but The most of them artificial. Then observe What kind of men they are that do abet him: Proscribed and banished persons; the ringleader Of this seditious troop a turbulent flamen, Grown fat with idleness_____ Bere. That's I. Flam. And puffed up With the wind of his ambition. Bere. With reverence to This place, thou liest. I am grown to this bulk By being ....... ......... Amil....... your goddess. She Defends you from a whipping. Han. Take him off; He does disturb the court. Bere. I shall find a place yet Where I will roar my wrongs out. [Exeunt Officers with BERECINTHIUS. Flam. As you have, In the removing of that violent fool, Given me a taste of your severity, Make it a feast, and perfect your great justice In the surrendering up this false pretender To the correction of the law, and let him Undergo the same punishment which others Have justly suffered that preceded him In the same machination. Ant. As you wish A noble memory to after times, Reserve one ear for my defence, and let not For your own wisdoms let notthat belief This subtle fiend would plant be rooted in you Till you have heard me. Would you know the truth, And real cause, why poor Antiochus hath So long concealed himself? Though in the opening A wound, in some degree by time closed up, I shall pour scalding oil and sulphur in it, I will, in the relation of my To be lamented story, punctually Confute my false accuser. Pray you conceive, As far as your compassion will permit, How great the grief and agony of my soul was, When I considered that the violence Of my ill-reined ambition had made Greece The fatal sepulchre of so many thousands Of brave and able men, that might have stood In opposition for the defence Of mine own kingdom, and a ready aid For my confederates; after which rout, And my retreat in a disguise to Athens, The shame of this disgrace, though I then had The forehead of this man, would have deterred me From being ever seen where I was known; And such was then my resolution. Amil. This granted, whither went you? Ant. As a punishment Imposed upon myself, and equal to My wilful folly, giving o'er the world, I went into a desert. Flam. This agrees With the dead slaves' report; but I must contemn it. [Aside. Amil. What drew you from that austere life? Asd. Clear that. Ant. The counsel of a grave philosopher Wrought on me to make known myself the man That I was born; and, of all potentates In Afric, to determine of the truth Of my life and condition, I preferred The commonwealth of Carthage. Flam. As the fittest To be abused. Ant. This is not fair. Amil. My lord, If not entreat, I must command your silence, Or absence, which you please. Flam. So peremptory! Ant. To vindicate myself from all suspicion Of forgery and imposture, in this scroll, Writ with my royal hand, you may peruse A true memorial of all circumstances, Answers, despatches, doubts, and difficulties Between myself and your ambassadors, Sent to negotiate with me. Amil. Fetch the records. [Exit Attendant. Ant. 'Tis my desire you should; truth seeks the light: And, when you have compared them, if you find them In any point of moment differing, Re-enter Attendant with the Book of Records. Conclude me such a one as this false man Presents me to you. But, if you perceive Those private passages, in my cabinet argued, And, but to your ambassadors and myself, Concealed from all men, in each point agreeing, Judge if a cheating Greek, a Pseudolus, Or an apostata Jew, could e'er arrive at Such deep and weighty secrets. Han. To a syllable They are the same. Amil. It cannot be but this is The true Antiochus. Flam. A magician rather, And hath the spirit of Python. Car. These are toys. Ant. You see he will omit no trifle, that His malice can lay hold of, to divert Your love and favour to me. Now for my death, The firmest base on which he builds the strength Of his assertions, if you please to weigh it With your accustomed wisdom, you'll perceive 'Tis merely fabulous. Had they meant fairly, And, as a truth, would have it so confirmed To the doubtful Asians, why did they not Suffer the carcase they affirmed was mine To be viewed by such men as were interessed In the great cause, that were bred up with me, And were familiar with the marks I carried Upon my body, and not rely upon Poor prisoners taken in the war, from whom, In hope of liberty and reward, they drew Such depositions as they knew would make For their dark ends? Was anything more easy Than to suppose a body, and, that placed on A solemn hearse, with funeral pomp to inter it In a rich monument, and then proclaim "This is the body of Antiochus, King of the Lower Asia"? Flam. Rome's honour Is taxed in this of practice and corruption: I'll hear no more. In your determinations, Consider what it is to hold and keep her Your friend or enemy. [Exit. Amil. We wish we could Receive you as a king, since your relation Hath wrought so much upon us that we do Incline to that belief. But, since we cannot As such protect you but with certain danger, Until you are by other potent nations Proclaimed for such, our fitting caution Cannot be censured, though we do entreat You would elsewhere seek justice. Ant. Where, when 'tis Frighted from you by power? Amil. And yet take comfort. Not all the threats of Rome shall force us to Deliver you: the short time that you stay In Carthage you are safe; no more a prisoner; You are enlarged; with full security Consult of your affairs. In what we may We are your friends.Break up the court. [Exeunt all but ANTIOCHUS and the three Merchants. 1st Mer. Dear sir, Take courage in your liberty; the world Lies open to you. 2nd Mer. We shall meet with comfort When most despaired of by us. Ant. Never, never! Poor men, though fallen, may rise; but kings like me, If once by fortune slaved, are ne'er set free. [Exeunt. ACT THE THIRD. SCENE I.Carthage. A Room in the House of FLAMINIUS. Enter FLAMINIUS (with two letters), CALISTUS, and DEMETRIUS. FLAM. You gave him store of gold with the instructions That I prescribed him? Cal. Yes, my lord, and, on The forfeiture of my credit with your honour, Titus will do his parts, and dive into Their deepest secrets. Flam. Men of place pay dear For their intelligence; it eats out the profit Of their employment; but, in a design Of such weight, prodigality is a virtue. The fellow was of trust that you despatched To Rome with the packets? Dem. Yes, sir; he flies, not rides. By this, if his access answer his care, He is upon return. Flam. I am on the stage, And if now, in the scene imposed upon me, So full of changenay, a mere labyrinth Of politic windingsI show not myself A Protean actor, varying every shape With the occasion, it will hardly poise The expectation. I'll so place my nets That, if this bird want wings to carry him At one flight out of Afric, I shall catch him. Calistus! Cal. Sir. Flam. Give these at Syracusa To the proconsul Marcellus. Let another post To Sardinia with these.You have the picture Of the impostor? Dem. Drawn to the life, my lord. Flam. Take it along with you. I have commanded, In the Senate's name, that they man out their galleys, And not to let one vessel pass without A strict examination; the sea Shall not protect him from me. I have charged too The garrisons, that keep the passages By land, to let none scape that come from Carthage, Without a curious search. [Exit CALISTUS. Enter LENTULUS. Len. [Speaking to one within.] I will excuse My visit without preparation; fear not. Flam. Who have we here? Len. When you have viewed me better You will resolve yourself. Flam. My good lord Lentulus! Len. You name me right. The speed that brought me hither As you see accoutred, and without a train Suitable to my rank, may tell your lordship That the design admits no vacant time For compliment. Your advertisements have been read In open court; the consuls and the Senate Are full of wonder and astonishment At the relation; your care is much Commended, and will find a due reward, When what you have so well begun is ended. In the meantime, with their particular thanks They thus salute you. [Tenders a letter.] You shall find there that (Their good opinion of me far above My hopes or merits) they have appointed me Your successor in Carthage, and commit Unto your abler trust the prosecution Of this impostor. Flam. As their creature ever I shall obey and serve them. I will leave My freedman to instruct you in the course Of my proceedings. You shall find him able And faithful, on my honour. Len. I receive him At his due value. Can you guess yet whither This creature tends? By some passengers I met I was told, howe'er the state denies to yield him To our dispose, they will not yet incense us By giving him protection. Flam. Ere long, I hope I shall resolve you.To my wish! Enter TITUS. Here comes my true discoverer. Be brief, And labour not with circumstance to endear The service thou hast done me. Tit. As your lordship Commanded me, in this Carthaginian habit I made my first approaches, and delivered The gold was given me as a private present Sent from the Lord Amilcar for his viaticum To another country; for I did pretend I was his menial servant. Flam. Very well. Tit. 'Twas entertained almost with sacrifice, And I, as one most welcome, was admitted Into their turbulent counsel. Many means Were there propounded, whither, and to whom, Their King Antiochus (for so they style him) Should fly for safety. One urged to the Parthian, A second into Egypt, and a third To the Batavian; but, in conclusion, The corpulent flamen, that would govern all, And in his nature would not give allowance To any proposition that was not The child of his own brain, resolved to carry Their May-game prince, covered with a disguise, To Prusias King of Bithynia. His opinion Carried it; and thither, without pause or stay, To thank my lord for his bounty, they are gone, Upon my certain knowledge for I rid Two days and nights along, that I might not build Upon suppositions; by this they are At their journey's end. Flam. With my thanks, there's thy reward. [Giving money. I will take little rest until I have Soured his sweet entertainment.You have been In the court of this Prusias; of what temper is he? Len. A well-disposed and noble gentleman, And very careful to preserve the peace And quiet of his subjects. Flam. I shall find him The apter to be wrought on. Do you know who is His special favourite? Len. One that was his tutor, A seeming politician, and talks often; The end of his ambition is to be A gentleman of Rome. Flam. I shall fit him, fear not. Your travel's ended; mine begins, and therefore I will take my leave. Formality of manners now is useless: I long to be a-horseback. Len. You have my wishes For a fair success. Flam. My care shall not be wanting. [Exeunt. SCENE II.Bithynia. Before the Palace. Enter ANTIOCHUS and the three Merchants. 1st Mer. This tedious journey, from your majesty's Long discontinuance of riding hard, With weariness hath dulled your spirits. 2nd Mer. The flamen, His corpulency considered, hath held out Beyond imagination. 3rd Mer. As often As he rode down a hill I did expect The chining of his horse. Ant. I wonder more How mine sustained his burden, since the weight That sits on my more heavy heart would crack The sinews of an elephant. 2nd Mer. 'Tis said That beast hath strength to carry six armed men In a turret on his back. Ant. True; but the sorrow Of a wretched and forsaken king like me Is far more ponderous. 1st Mer. O, part not, sir, From your own strength by yielding to despair. I am most confident Berecinthius will, From the great King Prusiasin his goodness great Bring comfort to you. Ant. I am prepared, however; Lower I cannot fall. [Flourish. 3rd Mer. Ha! these are signs Of a glorious entertainment, not contempt! Enter BERECINTHIUS. Bere. Bear up, sir. I have done you simple service; I thank my eloquence and boldness for it. When would a modest silent fool effect What I have done? but such men are not born For great employments. The fox that would confer With a lion without fear must see him often. O for a dozen of rubbers and a bath! And yet I need no tub, since I drench myself In mine own balsam. 1st Mer. Balsamum! it smells Like a tallow-chandler's shop. Bere. Does it so? thou thin-gut! Thou thing without moisture! But I have no time To answer thee. The great kingby my means, sir, Ever remember thatin his own person, With his fair consort and a gallant train, [Flourish. Are come to entertain you. Ant. Jove! if thou art Pleased that it shall be so_____ Bere. Change not you Jove's purpose In your slowness to receive it; in your carriage Express yourself. They come. Enter PRUSIAS, his Queen, PHILOXENUS, and Attendants. Pru. The strong assurance You gave at Carthage to confirm you are The King Antiochus (for so much from My agent there I have heard) commands me to Believe you are so; and however they, Awed by the Roman greatness, durst not lend you Aid or protection, in me you shall find A surer guard: I stand on mine own bases, Nor shall or threats or prayers deter me from Doing a good deed in itself rewarded. You are welcome to my bosom. Ant. All that yet I can return you, sir, is thanks, expressed In tears of joy, to find here that compassion Hath not forsook the earth. Queen. Alas, good king, I pity him! Pru. This lady, sir, your servant, Presents her duty to you. Ant. Pray you forgive me: Calamity, my too long rude companion, Hath taught me, gracious madam, to forget Civility and manners. [Kisses her. Queen. [Aside] I ne'er touched But the king my husband's lips, and, as I live, He kisses very like him. Pru. Here is one I dare present to you for a knowing man In politic designs. But he is present, I should say more else. Ant. Your assistance, sir, To raise a trod-down king will well become you. Phi. What man can do that is familiar with The deep directions of Xenophon, Or Aristotle's politics, besides Mine own collections, which some prefer, And with good reason, as they say, before them, Your highness may expect. Pru. We will at leisure Consider of the manner and the means How to restore you to your own. Queen. And till then Suppose yourself in your own court. Ant. The gods Be sureties for the payment of this debt I stand engaged! Your bounties overwhelm me. [Flourish. Exeunt all but BERECINTHIUS and the Merchants. Bere. Ay, marry, this is as it should be! Ha! After these storms raised by this Roman devil, Titus Flaminiusyou know whom I mean Are we got into the port once. I must purge. 1st Mer. Not without cause. Bere. Or my increasing belly Will metamorphose me into the shape Of a great tortoise, and I shall appear A cipher, a round man, or what you will. Now jeer at my bulk, and spare not. 1st Mer. You are pleasant. Bere. Farce thy lean ribs with hope, and thou wilt grow to Another kind of creature. When our king is Restored, let me consider, as he must be, And I the principal means, I'll first grow rich, Infinite rich, and build a strange new temple To the goddess that I worship, and so bind her To prosper all my purposes. 2nd Mer. Be not rapt so. Bere. Prithee, do not trouble me. First I will expel The Romans out of Asia; and, so breaking Their reputation in the world, we will Renew our league with Carthage; then draw to Our party the Egyptian Ptolemy, And great Arsaces' issue. I will be The general, and march to Rome, which taken, I'll fill proud Tiber with the carcases Of men, women, and children. Do not persuade me; I'll show no mercy. 3rd Mer. Have the power to hurt first. Bere. Then by the senators, whom I'll use as horses, I will be drawn in a chariot, made for my bulk, In triumph to the Capitol, more admired Than Bacchus was in India; Titus Flaminius, Our enemy, led like a dog in a chain, As I descend or reascend in state, Shall serve for my foot-stool. I will conjure him, If revenge hath any spells. Enter FLAMINIUS and DEMETRIUS. Flam. Command the captain To wait me with his galley at the next port; I am confident I shall fraught him. [Exit DEMETRIUS. 1st Mer. You are conjuring, And see what you have raised. Bere. Cybele save me! I do not fear thee, Pluto, though thou hast Assumed a shape not to be matched in Cocytus! Why dost thou follow me? Flam. Art thou mad? Bere. Thou comest To make me so. How my jelly quakes! Avaunt! What have I to do with thee? Flam. You shall know at leisure; The time is now too precious. [Exit. Bere. 'Tis vanished: Sure, 'twas an apparition. 1st Mer. I fear A fatal one to us. 2nd Mer. We may easily guess at The cause that brings him hither. 3rd Mer. Now, it ever, Confirm the king. 1st Mer. Against this battery New works are to be raised, or we are ruined. Bere. What think you of this rampire? 'twill hold out; And he shall shoot through and through it but I'll cross him. [Exeunt. SCENE III.Bithynia. An Apartment in the Palace. Enter FLAMINIUS and PHILOXENUS. Flam. What we have said the consuls will make good, And the glad Senate ratify. Phi. They have so Obliged me for this favour, that there is not A service of that difficulty from which I would decline. In this rest confident, I am your own, and sure. Flam. You shall do, sir, A noble office in it; and, however We thank you for the courtesy, the profit And certain honours, the world's terror, Rome, In thankfulness cannot but shower upon you, Are wholly yours. How happy I esteem Myself, in this employment, to meet with A wise and provident statesman! Phi. My good lord! Flam. I flatter not in speaking truth. You are so, And, in this prompt alacrity, confirm it; Since a wise forecast in the managing Worldly affairs is the true wisdom, rashness The schoolmistress of idiots. You well know Charity begins at home, and that we are Nearest unto ourselves; fools build upon Imaginary hopes, but wise men ever On real certainties; a tender conscience, Like a glowworm, shows a seeming fire in darkness, But, set near to the glorious light of honour, It is invisible. As you are a statesman, And a master in that art, you must remove All rubs, though with a little wrong sometimes, That may put by the bias of your counsels From the fair mark they aim at. Phi. You are read well In worldly passages. Flam. I barter with you Such trifles as I have; but, if you pleased, You could instruct me that philosophy And policy in states are not such strangers As men o'er-curious and precise would have them. But to the point. With speed get me access To the king your pupil: and 'tis well for him That he hath such a tutor; rich Bithynia Was never so indebted to a patriot And vigilant watchman, for her peace and safety, As to yourself. Phi. Without boast I may whisper I have done something that way. Flam. All in all; Fame, filling her loud trump with truth, proclaims it: But, when it shall be understood you are The principal means by which a dangerous serpent, Warmed in your sovereign's bosom, is delivered To have his sting and venomous teeth pulled out, And the ruin, in a willing grant, avoided, Which in detaining him falls on the kingdom, Not Prusias alone, but his saved people, Will raise your providence altars. Phi. Let me entreat Your patience some few minutes: I'll bring the king In person to you. Flam. Do, and, this effected, Think of the ring you are privileged to wear When a Roman gentleman; and, after that, Of provinces and purple. [Exit PHILOXENUS.] I must smile now In my consideration with what glibness My flatteries, oiled with hopes of future greatness, Are swallowed by this dull pate. But it is not Worth the observation. Most of our seeming statesmen Are caught in the same noose. Enter PRUSIAS and PHILOXENUS. Returned so soon! And the king with him! but his angry forehead Furrowed with frowns. No matter, I am for him. Pru. From the people of Rome? so quick? Hath he brought with him Letters of credence, and authority To treat with us? Phi. I read them. Pru. What can he Propound which I must fear to hear? I would Continue in fair terms with that warlike nation, Ever provided I wrong not myself In the least point of honour. Phi. To the full He will instruct your majesty. Flam. So may Felicity, as a page, attend your person, As you embrace the friendly counsel sent you From the Roman Senate! Pru. With my thanks to you Their instrument, if the advice be such As by this preparation you would have me Conceive it is, I shall, and 'twill become me, Receive it as a favour. Flam. Know then, Rome, In her pious care that you may still increase The happiness you live in, and your subjects, Under the shadow of their own vines, eat The fruit they yield them, their soft musical feasts Continuing, as they do yet, unaffrighted With the harsh noise of war, entreats as low As her known power and majesty can descend You would return, with due equality, A willingness to preserve what she hath conquered From change and innovation. Pru. I attempt not To trouble her, nor ever will. Flam. Fix there; Or if, for your own good, you will move farther, Make Rome your thankful debtor by surrendering Into her hands the false impostor that Seeks to disturb her quiet. Pru. This I looked for, And that I should find mortal poison wrapped up In your candied pills. Must I, because you say so, Believe that this most miserable king is A false affronter, who, with arguments Unanswerable, and near miraculous proofs, Confirms himself the true Antiochus? Or is it not sufficient that you Romans, In your unsatisfied ambition, have Seized with an unjust gripe on half the world, Which you call conquest, if that I consent not To have my innocence soiled with that pollution You are willingly smeared o'er with? Flam. Pray you, hear me. Pru. I will be first heard. Shall I, for your ends, Infringe my princely word; or break the laws Of hospitality; defeat myself Of the certain honour to restore a king Unto his own, and what you Romans have Extorted and keep from him? Far be it from me! I will not buy your amity at such loss. So it be to all after times remembered I held it not sufficient to live As one born only for myself, and I Desire no other monument. Flam. I grant It is a specious thing to leave behind us A fair report, though in the other world We have no feeling of it; and to lend A desperate, though fruitless, aid to such As Fate, not to be altered, hath marked out Examples of calamity, may appear A glorious ornament: but here's a man, The oracle of your kingdom, that can tell you, When there's no probability it may be Effected, 'tis mere madness to attempt it. Phi. A true position. Flam. Your inclination Is honourable, but your power deficient To put your purposes into act. Pru. My power? Flam. Is not to be disputed, if weighed truly With the petty kings your neighbours; but, when balanced With the globes and sceptres of my mistress Rome, Willbut I spare comparisons. But you build on Your strength to justify the fact. Alas! It is a feeble reed, and leaning on it, Will wound your hand much sooner than support you. You keep in pay, 'tis true, some peace-trained troops, Which awe your neighbours; but consider, when Our eagles shall display their sail-stretched wings, Hovering o'er our legions, what defence Can you expect from yours? Phi. Urge that point home. Flam. Our old victorious bands are ever ready; And such as are not our confederates tremble To think where next the storm shall fall with horror: Philoxenus knows it. Will you, to help one You should contemn, and is not worth your pity, Pull it on your own head? Your neighbour Carthage Would smile to see your error. Let me paint The danger to you ere it come. Imagine Our legions, and the auxiliary forces Of such as are our friends and tributaries, Drawn up; Bithynia covered with our armies; All places promising defence blocked up With our armed troops; the siege continuing; Famine within and force without disabling All opposition; then, the army entered, As victory is insolent, the rapes Of virgins and grave matrons, reverend old men With their last groans accusing you; your city And palace sacked_____ Phi. Dear sir! Flam. And you yourself Captived; and, after that, chained by the neck; Your matchless queen, your children, officers, friends, Waiting, as scorns of fortune, to give lustre To the victor's triumph. Phi. I am in a fever To think upon't. Flam. As a friend I have delivered, And more than my commission warrants me, This caution to you. But now, peace or war? If the first, I entertain it; if the latter, I'll instantly defy you. Phi. Pray you say peace, sir. Pru. On what conditions? Flam. The delivery Of this seductor and his complices; On no terms else, and suddenly. Pru. How can I Dispense with my faith given? Phi. I'll yield you reasons. Pru. Let it be peace thenOh! Pray you call in [Exit PHILOXENUS. The wretched man; in the meantime I'll consider How to excuse myself. Flam. [Aside.] While I, in silence, Triumph in my success, and meditate On the reward that crowns it. A strong army Could have done no more than I alone, and with A little breath, have effected. Enter Queen, ANTIOCHUS, BERECINTHIUS, the three Merchants, PHILOXENUS, DEMETRIUS, and Attendants. Ant. Goodness guard me! Whom do I look on? Sir, come further from him, He is infectious; so swollen with mischiefs And strange impieties, his language too So full of siren sorceries, if you hear him There is no touch of moral honesty, Though rampired in your soul, but will fly from you. The mandrake's shrieks, the aspic's deadly tooth, The tears of crocodiles, or the basilisk's eye Kill not so soon, nor with that violence, As he, who, in his cruel nature, holds Antipathy with mercy. Pru. I am sorry_____ Ant. Sorry! for what? That you had an intent To be a good and just prince? Are compassion And charity grown crimes? Pru. The gods can witness How much I would do for you; and but that Necessity of state_____ Ant. Make not the gods Guilty of your breach of faith! From them you find not Treachery commanded; and the state, that seeks Strength from disloyalty, in the quicksands which She trusteth in is swallowed. 'Tis in vain To argue with you: if I am condemned, Defences come too late. What do you purpose Shall fall on poor Antiochus? Pru. For my Securitythere being no means left else Against my will I must deliver you. Ant. To whom? Enter Guard. Pru. To Rome's ambassador. Ant. O, the Furies! Exceed not him in cruelty! Remember I am a king, your royal guest; your right hand The pawn and pledge that should defend me from My bloody enemy. Did you accuse The Carthaginian senate for denying Aid and protection to me, giving hope To my despairing fortunes; or but now Raise me to make my fall more terrible? Did you tax them of weakness, and will you So far transcend them in a coward fear, Declaimed against by your own mouth? O sir, If you dare not give me harbour, set me safe yet In any desert, where this serpent's hisses May not be heard; and to the gods I'll speak you A prince both wise and honourable. Pru. Alas! It is not in my power. Ant. As an impostor Take off my head then; at the least, so far Prove merciful; or with any torture ease me Of the burthen of a life, rather than yield me To this politic state hangman. Flam. [Aside.] This to me is A kind of ravishing music. Queen. I have lived For many years, sir, your obedient handmaid, Nor ever in a syllable presumed To cross your purposes; but now, with a sorrow As great almost as this poor king's, beholding Your poverty of spiritfor it does Deserve no better nameI must put off Obsequiousness and silence, and take to me The warrant and authority of your queen, And as such give you counsel. Pru. You displease me. Queen. The physic promising health is ever bitter. Hear me. Will you that are a mannay more, A king of mendo that, forced to it by fear, Which common men would scorn? I am a woman A weak and feeble womanyet before I would deliver up my bondwoman, And have it told I did it by constraint, I would endure to have these hands cut off, These eyes pulled out_____ Pru. I'll hear no more. Queen. Do you, then, As a king should. Pru. Away with her! [They bear off the Queen.] Flam. My affairs Exact a quick despatch. Pru. He's yours. Conceive What I would say. Farewell. [Exeunt PRUSIAS and PHILOXENUS. Ant. That I had been Born dumb! I will not grace thy triumph, tyrant, With one request of favour. [Exit ANTIOCHUS guarded. Bere. My good lord! Flam. Your will, dear flamen? Bere. I perceive you are like To draw a great charge upon you. My fat bulk, And these my lions, will not be kept for a little, Nor would we be chargeable; and, therefore, kissing Your honoured hands, I take my leave. Flam. By no means; I have been busy, but I shall find leisure To treat with you in another place. Bere. I would not Put your lordship to the trouble. Flam. It will be A pleasure rather.Bring them all away. Bere. The comfort is, whether I drown or hang I shall not be long about it; I'll preserve The dignity of my family. Flam. 'Twill become you. [Exeunt. ACT THE FOURTH. SCENE I.Callipolis. A Room in the Proconsul's House. Enter METELLUS and SEMPRONIUS. MET. A revolt in Asia? Semp. Yes, on the report The long-thought-dead Antiochus lives. Met. I heard Such a one appeared in Carthage, but suppressed By Titus Flaminius, my noble friend, Who, by his letters, promised me a visit, If his designs, as I desire they may, Succeeded to his wishes. Semp. Till you behold him I can bring your honour, if you please, where you May find fair entertainment. Met. From whom, captain? Semp. A new-rigged pinnace, that put off from Corinth, And is arrived among us, tight and yare; Nor comes she to pay custom for her fraught, But to impose a tax on such as dare Presume to look on her, which smock-gamesters offer Sooner than she demands it. Met. Some fresh courtezan, Upon mine honour! Semp. You are i' the right, my lord. Met. And there lies your intelligence? Semp. True, my good lord; 'Tis a discovery will not shame a captain When he lies in garrison. Since I was a trader In such commodities I never saw Her equal: I was ravished with the object; And, would you visit her, I believe you would write Yourself of my opinion. Met. Fie upon thee! I am old. Semp. And therefore have the greater use Of such a cordial. All Medea's drugs, And her charms to boot, that made old Æson young, Were nothing to her touch; your viper wine, So much in practice with grey-bearded gallants, But vappa to the nectar of her lip. She hath done miracles since she came: a usurer. Full of the gout, and more diseases than His crutches could support, used her rare physic But one short night, and, rising in the morning, He danced a lavolta. Met. Prithee, leave thy fooling, And talk of something else. Semp. The whole world yields not Apter discourse. She hath all the qualities Conducing to the sport: sings like a siren; Dances as the gross element of earth Had no part in her; her discourse so full Of eloquence and prevailing, there is nothing She asks to be denied her. Had she desired My captain's place, I had cashiered myself; And, should she beg your proconsulship, if you heard her, 'Twere hers, upon my life. Met. She should be damned first, And her whole tribe. Enter FLAMINIUS. My Lord Flaminius, welcome! I have long been full of expectation Of your great design, and hope a fair success Hath crowned your travail in your bringing in This dangerous impostor. Flam. At the length, I have him and his complices. Met. I'll not now Inquire how you achieved him, but would know, Since 'tis referred to you, what punishment Should fall upon him. Flam. If you please, in private, I will acquaint you. Met. Captain, let me entreat you To meditate on your woman in the next room; We may have employment for you. Semp. I had rather She would command my service. [Exit. Met. Pray you sit. Flam. Now, my good lord, I ask your grave advice What course to take. Met. That, in my judgment, needs not Long consultation. He is a traitor, And, his process framed, must, as a traitor, suffer A death due to his treason. Flam. There's much more To be considered, there being a beliet, Dispersed almost through Asia, that he is The true Antiochus; and we must decline The certain scandal it will draw upon The Roman government, if he die the man He is by the most received to be; and therefore, Till that opinion be removed, we must Use some quaint practice, that may work upon His hopes or fears, to draw a free confession That he was suborned to take on him the name He still maintains. Met. That, torture will wrest from him; I know no readier way. Flam. If you had seen His carriage in Carthage and Bithynia, You would not think so. Since I had him in My power I have used all possible means that might Force him into despair, and so to do A violence on himself. He hath not tasted These three days any sustenance, and still Continues fasting. Met. Keep him to that diet Some few hours more. Flam. I am of opinion rather, Some competence offered him, and a place of rest, Where he might spend the remnant of his days In pleasure and security, might do more Than fear of death or torture. Met. It may be; There are such natures; and now I think upon't, I can help you to a happy instrument To motion it. Your ear. [Whispers. Flam. 'Tis wondrous well, And it may prove fortunate. Met. 'Tis but a trial; However, I will send for her. Flam. Pray you do; She shall have my directions. Met. What botches Are made in the shop of policy! Flam. So they cover The nakedness we must conceal, it skills not. [Exeunt. SCENE II.Callipolis. The Prison. Enter Jailor, with a poniard and a halter. Jai. Why should I feel compunction for that Which yields me profit? ha! a prisoner's tears Should sooner pierce flint or Egyptian marble Than move us to compassion. Yet I know not, The sufferings of this miserable man Work strangely on me. Some say he is a king: It may be so; but, if they hold out thus, I am sure he is like to die a beggar's death, And starve for hunger. I am, by a servant Of the Lord Flaminius, strictly commanded, Before I have raised him out of the dungeon, To lay these instruments in his view; to what end I am not to inquire, but I am certain, After his long fast, they are viands that Will hardly be digested. Do you hear, sir? Ant. [Below.] If thou art my deathsman, welcome! Jai. I so pity you That I wish I had commission, as you rise, To free you from all future misery, To knock your brains out. Ant. Would thou hadst! Jai. You have The liberty to air yourself, and that Is all I can afford you. Fast, and be merry; I am elsewhere called on. [Exit. Ant. [Rising from below.] Death! as far as faintness Will give me leave to chide thee, I am angry Thou comest not at me. No attendance? Famine, Thy meagre harbinger, flatters me with hope Of thy so wished arrival; yet thy coming Is still deferred. Why? Is it in thy scorn To take a lodging here? I am a king, And, though I know the reverence that waits Upon the potent sceptre, nor the guards Of faithful subjects, neither threats, nor prayers Of friends or kindred, nor yet walls of brass Or fire, should their proud height knock at the moon, Can stop thy passage, when thou art resolved To force thy entrance: yet a king, in reason, By the will of fate severed from common men, Should have the privilege and prerogative, When he is willing to disrobe himself Of this cobweb garment, life, to have thee ready To do thy fatal office. What have we here? Enter FLAMINIUS, METELLUS, and SEMPRONIUS above. A poniard, and a halter! From the objects I am easily instructed to what end They were prepared; either will serve the turn To ease the burthen of a wretched life, Or thus [Lifts the dagger], or thus [Lifts the halter], in death! I must commend The Roman courtesy. How am I grown So cheap and vile in their opinion that I am denied an executioner? Will not the loss of my life quit the cost? O rare frugality! will they force me to Be mine own hangman? Every slave, that's guilty Of crimes not to be named, receives such favour By the judge's doom, and is my innocence The oppressed innocence of a star-crossed king Held more contemptible? My better angel, Though wanting power to alter fate, discovers Their hellish purposes. Yes, yes, 'tis so: My body's death will not suffice, they aimed at My soul's perdition; and shall I, to shun A few hours more of misery, betray her? No, she is free still, and shall so return From whence she came, and in her pureness triumph, Their tyranny chained and fettered. Flam. O, the devil! Thou art weak. This will not do. Met. Mark how he'll stand The second charge. Semp. The honour is reserved For the pretty tempting friend I brought, my life on't. Re-enter Jailor, with brown bread, and a wooden dish of water. Jai. Here, sir, take this; though coarse, it will kill hunger; It is your daily pittance; yet, when you please, Your commons may be mended. Ant. Show me the way. Jai. Confess yourself to be a cozening knave; The matter's feasible; but, if you will be Still king of the crickets, feed on this and live: You shall not say we starved you. [Exit. Ant. Stay, I beseech thee, And take thy cruel pity back again To him that sent it. This is a tyranny That doth transcend all precedents. My soul, But even now, this lump of clay, her prison, Of itself, in the want of nourishment, opening, Had shook off her sick feathers, and prepared Herself to make a noble flight, as set At liberty, and now this reparation Again immures. You, for whose curious palates The elements are ransacked, look upon This bill of fare, by my penurious steward, Necessity, served to a famished king; And, warned by my example, when your tables Crack not with the weight of dear and far-fetched dainties, Dispute not with Heaven's bounties. What shall I do? If I refuse to touch and taste these coarse And homely cates, I hasten my own fate, And so, with willingness, embrace a sin I hitherto have fled from. No, I'll eat; And if, at this poor rate, life can continue, I will not throw it off. Flam. I pine with envy To see his constancy. Met. Bid your property enter, And use her subtlest magic. [A lute is heard. Semp. I have already Acquainted her with her cue. The music ushers Her personal appearance. [A song within. Ant. From what hand And voice do I receive this charity? It is unusual at such a feast. But I miscall it; 'tis some new-found engine Mounted to batter me. Ha! Enter Courtezan. Cour. If I were not More harsh and rugged in my disposition Than thy tormentors, these eyes had outstripped My tongue, and, with a shower of tears, had told you Compassion brings me hither. Ant. That I could Believe so much, as, by my miseries! (An oath I dare not break) I gladly would; Pity, methinks, I know not how, appears So lovely in you. Cour. It being spent upon A subject in each circumstance deserving An universal sorrow, though 'tis simple, It cannot be deformed. May I presume To kiss your royal hand? for sure you are not Less than a king. Ant. Have I one witness living Dares only think so much? Cour. I do believe it, And will die in that belief; and nothing more Confirms it than your patience, not to be Found in a meaner man. Not all the trim Of the majesty you were born to, though set off With pomp and glorious lustre, showed you in Such full perfection as at this instant Shines round about you, in your constant bearing Your adverse fortune, a degree beyond All magnanimity that ever was Canonized by mankind. Ant. Astonishment And wonder seizes on me. Pray you what are you? Cour. Without your pity, nearer to the grave Than the malice of prevailing enemies Can hurry you. Ant. My pity! I will part with So much from what I have engrossed to mourn Mine own afflictions as I freely grant it. Will you have me weep before I know the cause In which I may serve you? Cour. You already have Spent too much of that stock. Pray you, first hear me, And wrong not my simplicity with doubts Of that I shall deliver. I am a virgin_____ Semp. If I had not toyed with her myself, I should now believe her! Cour. And though not of the eagle's brood, descended From a noble family. Semp. Her mother sold her To a Corinthian lecher at thirteen, As 'tis reported. Met. Be silent, I command you. Ant. To be a virgin, and so well derived, In my opinion, fair one, are not things To be lamented. Cour. If I had not fallen From my clear height of chastityI confess it In my too forward wishes .... that is A sin I am guilty of. I am in love, sir, Impotently mad in love, and my desires Not to be stopped in their career. Ant. With whom Are you so taken? Cour. With your own dear self, sir: Behold me not with such a face of wonder; It is too sad a truth. The story of Your most deplorable fortune at the first warmed me With more than modest heats; but, since I saw you, I am all fire, and shall turn cinders, if You show not mercy to me. Ant. Foolish creature, If I could suppose this true, and met your wishes With equal ardour, as I am, what shadow Of seeming hope is left you to arrive at The port you long for? Cour. If you will be good Unto yourself, the voyage is accomplished: It is but putting off a poisoned shirt, Which in the wearing eats into your flesh, And must, against your will, be soon forced from you, The malice of your enemies tendering to you More true security and safety than The violence of your friends' and servants' wishes Could heap upon you. Ant. 'Tis impossible. Clear this dark mystery, for yet, to me, You speak in riddles. Cour. I will make it easy To your understanding, and thus sweeten it [Offers to kiss him. In the delivery. 'Tis but to disclaim, With the continual cares that wait upon it, The title of a king. Ant. [Aside.] Devil Flaminius! I find you here! Cour. Why do you turn away? The counsel that I offer, if you please To entertain it, as long-wished companions, In her right hand brings liberty, and a calm After so many storms; and you no sooner Shall, to the world, profess you were suborned To this imposturethough I still believe It is a truthbut, with a free remission For the offence, I, as your better genius, Will lead you from this place of horror to A paradise of delight, to which compared, Thessalian Tempe, or that garden where Venus with her revived Adonis spend Their pleasant hours, and make from their embraces A perpetuity of happiness, Deserve not to be named. There, in an arbour, Of itself supported o'er a bubbling spring, With purple hyacinths and roses covered, We will enjoy the sweets of life, nor shall Arithmetic sum up the varieties of Our amorous dalliance; our viands such, As not alone shall nourish appetite, But strengthen our performance; and, when called for, The quiristers of the air shall give us music; And, when we slumber, in a pleasant dream You shall behold the mountains of vexations Which you have heaped upon the Roman tyrants In your free resignation of your kingdom, And smile at their afflictions. Ant. Hence, you siren! Cour. Are you displeased? Ant. Were all your flatteries Aimed at this mark? Will not my virtuous anger, Assisted by contempt and scorn, yield strength To spurn thee from me? But thou art some whore Some common whoreand, if thou hast a soul (As in such creatures it is more than doubted), It hath its being in thy wanton veins, And will, with thy expense of blood, become Like that of sensual beasts. Met. This will not do. Ant. How did my enemies lose themselves to think, A painted prostitute with her charms could conquer What malice, at the height, could not subdue! Is all their stock of malice so consumed, As, out of penury, they are forced to use A whore for their last agent? Cour. If thou wert Ten times a king thou liest. I am a lady, A gamesome lady of the last edition; And, though I physic noblemen, no whore. Met. He hath touched her freehold. Semp. Now let her alone, And she will worry him. Cour. Have I lived to have My courtesies refused? That I had leave To pluck thy eyes out! Are you so coy? Thou art a man of snow, And thy father got thee in the wane of the moon! But scorn me not. 'Tis true I was set on By the higher powers; but now, for all the wealth In Asia, thou shalt not have the favour, Though, prostrate on the earth, thou wouldst implore it, To kiss my shoestring. Re-enter Jailor and others. Flam. We lose time, my lord. Cour. Foh! how he stinks! I will not wear a rag more That he hath breathed on. [Exit. Met. Without more ado Let him have his sentence. Flam. Drag him hence. Ant. Are you there? Nay, then_____ Flam. I will not hear him speak. My anger Is lost. Why linger you? Ant. Death ends all, however! [Exeunt. SCENE III.Callipolis. A Street. Enter Officers, leading in BERECINTHIUS and 1st Merchant, with halters. Bere. What a skeleton they have made of me! Starve me first, And hang me after! Is there no conscience extant To a man of my order? They have degraded me, Ta'en away my lions, and to make me roar like them They have pared the flesh off from my fingers' ends, And then laughed at me; I have been kept in darkness These five long days, no visitants but devils, Or men in shapes more horrid, coming at me; A chafing-dish of coals and a butcher's knife I found set by me, and, inquiring why, I was told that I had flesh enough of mine own, And, if that I were hungry, I might freely Eat mine own carbonadoes, and be chronicled For a cannibal never read of. Off. Will you walk, sir? Bere. I shall come too soon, though I creep, to such a breakfast. I ever use to take my portion sitting: Hanging in the air, 'tis not physical. Off. Time flies away, sir. Bere. Why, let him fly, sir. Or, if you please to stay him, And bind up the bold knave's wings, make use of my collar; There is substance in it, I can assure your worship, And I thank your wisdom that you make distinction Between me and this starveling. He goes to it Like a greyhound for killing of sheep in a twopenny slip; But here's a cable will weigh up an anchor, And yet, if I may have fair play, ere I die Ten to one I shall make it crack. Off. What would you have, sir? Bere. My ballast about me; I shall ne'er sail well else To the other world. My bark, you see, wants stowage; But give me half a dozen of hens and a loin of veal To keep it steady, and you may spare the trouble Of pulling me by the legs, or setting the knot Under mine ear. This drum, well braced, defies Such foolish courtesies. 1st Mer. This mirth, good flamen, Is out of season. Let us think of Elysium, If we die honest men; or what we there Shall suffer from the Furies. Bere. Thou art a fool To think there are or gods or goddesses: For the latter, if that she had any power, Mine, being the mother of them, would have helped me. They are things we make ourselves. Or, grant there should be A hell, or an Elysium, sing I cannot To Orpheus' harp in the one, nor dance in the other: But, if there be a Cerberus, if I serve not To make three sops for his three heads, that may serve For something more than an ordinary breakfast, The cur is devilish hungry. Would I had Ran away with your fellow merchants! I had then Provided for my fame. Yet, as I am, I have one request to make, and that, my friends, Concerns my body, which I pray you grant, And then I shall die in peace. Off. What is it? Bere. Marry, That you would be suitors to the proconsul for me That no covetous Roman, after I am dead, May beg to have my skin flayed off, and stuff it With straw like an alligator, and then show it In fairs and markets for a monster. Though I know the sight will draw more fools to gape on't Than a camel or an elephant, aforehand I tell you, if you do, my ghost shall haunt you. Off. You shall have burial, fear not. Bere. And room enough To tumble in, I pray you, though I take up More grave than Alexander. I have ill luck If I stink not as much as he, and yield the worms As large a supper. 1st Mer. Are you not mad to talk thus? Bere. I came crying into the world, and am resolved To go out merrily: therefore despatch me. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.Callipolis. A Room in the Proconsul's House. Enter METELLUS and FLAMINIUS. Met. There never was such constancy. Flam. You give it Too fair a name: 'tis foolish obstinacy, For which he shall, without my pity, suffer. What we do for the service of the republic, And propagation of Rome's glorious empire, Needs no defence, and we shall wrong our judgments To feel compunction for it. Have you given order, According to the sentence, that the impostor, Riding upon an ass, his face turned to The hinder part, may in derision be Brought through Callipolis? Met. Yes; and a paper Upon his head, in which, with capital letters, His faults inscribed, and by three trumpeters Proclaimed before him; and, tht done, to have him Committed to the galleys. Here comes Sempronius, Enter SEMPRONIUS. To whom I gave the charge. Semp. I have performed it In every circumstance. Flam. How do the people Receive it? Semp. As an act of cruelty, And not of justice: it drew tears from all The sad spectators. His demeanour was In the whole progress worth the observation, But one thing most remarkable. Flam. What was that? Semp. When the city-clerk with a loud voice read the cause For which he was condemned, in taking on him The name of a king, with a settled countenance The miserable man replied, "I am so:" But when he touched his being a cheating Jew, His patience moved, with a face full of anger He boldly said, '"Tis false." I never saw Such magnanimity. Flam. Frontless impudence rather. Semp. Or anything else you please. Flam. Have you forced on him. The habit of a slave? Semp. Yes, and in that, Pardon my weakness, still there does appear A kind of majesty in him. Flam. You look on it With the eyes of foolish pity that deceives you. Semp. This way he comes; and, I believe, when you see him, You'll be of my opinion. Off.[Within.] Make way there. Enter Officers, leading in ANTIOCHUS, his head shaved, in the habit of a slave. Ant. Fate! 'tis thy will it should be thus, and I With patience obey it. Was there ever, In all precedent maps of misery, Calamity so drawn out to the life As she appears in me? In all the changes Of fortune, such a metamorphosis Antiquity cannot show us. Men may read there Of kings deposed, and some in triumph led By the proud insulting Roman; yet they were Acknowledged such, and died so; my sad fate Is of a worse condition, and Rome To me more barbarous than ere yet to any Brought in subjection. Is it not sufficient That the locks of this our royal head are shaved off; My glorious robes changed to this slavish habit; This hand that grasped a sceptre manacled; Or that I have been, as a spectacle, Exposed to public frown, if to make perfect The cruel reckoning I am not compelled To live beyond this, and, with stripes, be forced To stretch my shrunk-up sinews at an oar, In the company of thieves and murderers, My innocence and their guilt no way distinguished, But equal in our sufferings? Met. You may yet Redeem all, and happy. Flam. But, persisting In this imposture, think but what it is To live in hell on earth, and rest assured It is your fatal portion. Ant. Do what you please. I am in your power, but still Antiochus, King of the Lower Asiano impostor That, four and twenty years since, lost a battle, And challenge now mine own, which tyrannous Rome With violence keeps from me. Flam. Stop his mouth! Ant. This is the very truth; and, if I live Thrice Nestor's years in torture, I will speak No other language. Met. I begin to melt. Flam. To the galley with him! Ant. Every place shall be A temple to my penitence in me! [Exeunt. ACT THE FIFTH. SCENE I.Syracuse. An Apartment in a Palace. Enter MARCELLUS, and the 2nd and 3rd Merchants. MAR. Upon your recantation this gallerien Was not Antiochus, you had your pardons Signed by the senate? 2nd Mer. Yes, my lord. Mar. Troth, tell me, And freelyI am no informerdid you Believe and know him such, or raised that rumour For private ends of your own? 3rd Mer. May it please your excellence To understand the fear of death wrought on us, In a kind, to turn apostatas: besides, Having proved our testimonies could not help him, We studied our safeties. 2nd Mer. A desire too Of the recovery of our own, kept from us With strong hand, by his violent persecutor, Titus Flaminus, when he was at Carthage, Urged us to seek redress; nor was it fit We should oppose great Rome. Mar. In worldly wisdom You are excusable; but_____ 3rd Mer. We beseech your honour Press us no further. Mar. I do not purpose it. Do you know what this contains? [Holding up a letter. 2nd Mer. No, my good lord. 3rd Mer. Perhaps we bring the warrant for our deaths, As 'tis said of Bellerophon, yet we durst not Presume to open it. Mar. 'Twas manners in you; But I'll discharge you of that fear. There is No hurt intended to you. 3rd Mer. We thank your lordship. Mar. How is the service of Flaminius spoke of In Rome? 2nd Mer. With admiration, and many Divine great honours to him. Mar. The people's voice Is not oraculous ever. Are you sure The galley in which your supposed king is chained Was bound for Syracusa? 3rd Mer. She is now In the port, my lord. Mar. Titus Flaminius in her? 3rd Upon my certain knowledge. Mer. Keep yourselves Concealed till you are called for. When least hoped for, You shall have justice. 2nd Mer. Your honour's vassals ever. [Exeunt Merchants. Mar. Here, here, it is apparent that the poet Wrote truth, though no proof else could be alleged To make it good, that, though the Heavens lay open To human wishes, and the Fates were bound To sign what we desire, such clouds of error Involve our reason, we still beg a curse, And not a blessing. How many, born unto Ample possessions, and, like petty kings, Disposing of their vassals, sated with The peace and quiet of a country life, Carried headlong with ambition, contend To wear the golden fetters of employment, Presuming there's no happiness but in The service of the state! but when they have tried, By a sad experience, the burthen of them, When 'tis not in their power, at any rate They would redeem their calm security, Mortgaged in wantonness. Alas! what are we, That govern provinces, but preys exposed To every subtle spy? and when we have, Like sponges, sucked in wealth, we are squeezed out By the rough hand of the law; and, failing in One syllable of our commission, with The loss of what we got with toil, we draw Enter CORNELIA and a Moor-woman. What was our own in question.You come timely, To turn my tired thoughts from a sad discourse That I had with myself. Corn. I rather fear, sir, I bring an argument along with me That will increase, not lessen, such conceptions As I found with you. Mar. Why, sweet? what's the matter? Corn. When I but name Antiochus, though I spare To make a brief relation how he died, Or what he is, if he now live, a sigh, And seconded with a tear, I know, must fall As a due tribute to him. Mar. Which I pay Without compulsion; but why do you Lance this old sore? Corn. The occasion commands it, And now I would forget it, I am forced, In thankfulness, to call to memory The favours for which we must ever owe him. You had the honour, in his court at Sardis, To be styled his friend, an honour Rome and Carthage Were rivals for, and did deserve the envy Of his prime minions and favourites; His natural subjects planted in his favour Or rooted up, as your dislike or praise Reported them; the good king holding what You spake to be oraculous, and not To be disputed. His magnificent gifts Confirmed his true affection, which you were More weary to receive than he to give; Yet still he studied new ones. Mar. Pray you, no more. Corn. Oh, 'tis a theme, sir, I could ever dwell on; But, since it does offend you, I will speak Of what concerns myself. He did not blush, In the height of his felicity, to confess Fabricius, my lord and father, for His much-loved kinsman, and as such observed him You may please to remember too, when, at A public sacrifice made to the gods After a long infection, in which The Asian kings and queens were his assistants, With what respect and grace he did receive me; And, at a solemn tilting, when he had Put on the richest armour of the world, Smiling he saidhis words are still, and shall be, Writ in the tablet of my heart"Fair cousin," So he began (and then you thought me fair too), "Since I am turned soldier, 'twere a solecism, In the language of the war, to have no mistress; And therefore, as a prosperous omen to My undertakings, I desire to fight, So you with willingness give suffrage to it, Under your gracious colours:" and then, loosening A scarf tied to mine arm, he did entreat me To fasten it on his. O, with what joy I did obey him, rapt beyond myself In my imagination to have So great a king my servant! Mar. You had too Some private conference. Corn. And you gave way to it Without a sign of jealousy, and dispensed with The Roman gravity. Mar. Would I could again Grant you like opportunity .... Is this remembered now? Corn. It does prepare A suit I have, which you must not deny me, To see the man, who, as it is reported, In the exterior parts Nature hath drawn As his perfect copy. There must be something in him Remarkable in his resemblance only Of King Antiochus' features. Mar. 'Twas my purpose; Enter FLAMINIUS and DEMETRIUS. And so much, my Cornelia, Flaminius Shall not deny us. Flam. As my duty binds me, My stay here being but short, I come unsent for To kiss your lordship's hands. Mar. I answer you In your own language, sir.And yet your stay here May be longer than you think. [Aside. Flam. Most honoured madam, I cannot stoop too low in tendering of My humblest service. Corn. You disgrace your courtship In overacting it, my lord: I look not For such observance. Flam. I am most unhappy, If that your excellence make any scruple Of doubt you may command me. Corn. This assurance Gives me encouragement to entreat a favour, In which my lord being a suitor with me, I hope shall find a grant. Flam. Though all that's mine Be comprehended in 't. Mar. Your promise, sir, Shall not so far engage you. In respect Of some familiar passages between The King Antiochus, when he lived, and us, And, though it needs it not, for farther proof That this is an impostor, we desire Some conference with him. Flam. For your satisfaction I will dispense a little with the strictness Of my commission.Sirrah, will the captain To bring him to the proconsul. Corn. His chains took off; That I entreat too, since I would not look on The image of a king I so much honoured Bound like a slave. Flam. See this great lady's will Be punctually obeyed. [Exit DEMETRIUS. Mar. Your wisdom, sir, Hath done the state a memorable service, In strangling in the birth this dreadful monster; And, though with some your cruel usage of him (For so they call your fit severity) May find a harsh interpretation, wise men In judgment must applaud it. Flam. Such as are Selected instruments for deep designs, As things unworthy of them, must not feel Or favours or affections. Though I know The ocean of your apprehensions needs not The rivulet of my poor cautions, yet, Bold from my long experience, I presume (As a symbol of my zeal and service to you) To leave this counsel: when you are, my lord, Graced or distasted by the state, remember Your faculties are the state's, and not your own; And therefore have a care the empty sounds Of friend or enemy sway you not beyond The limits are assigned you. We, with ease, Swim down the stream; but to oppose the torrent Is dangerous, and to go more or less Than we are warranted, fatal. Mar. With my thanks For your so grave advice, I'll put in practice On all occasions what you deliver, And study them as aphorisms: in the meantime, Pray you accept such entertainment as Syracusa can present you. When the impostor Arrives let us have notice. Pray you walk, sir. [Exeunt. SCENE II.Another Room in the same. Enter ANTIOCHUS, Captain, and Soldiers. Capt. Wait at the palace gate. There is no fear now Of his escape; I'll be myself his guardian Till you hear further from me. [Exeunt Soldiers. Ant. What new engine Hath cruelty found out to raise against This poor demolished rampire? it is levelled With the earth already. Will they triumph in The ruins they have made; or is there yet One masterpiece of tyranny in store Beyond that I have suffered? If there be A vial of affliction not poured out yet Upon this sinful head, I am prepared, And will look on the cloud before it break Without astonishment. Scorn me not, captain, As a vain braggart; I will make this good, And I have strength to do it. I am armed With such varieties of defensive weapons, Lent to me from my passive fortitude, That there's no torment of a shape so horrid Can shake my constancy. Where lies the scene now? Though the hangings of the stage were congealed gore, The chorus flinty executioners, And the spectators, if it could be, more Inhuman than Flaminius, the cue given, The principal actor's ready. Capt. If I durst I could show my compassion. Ant. Take heed, captain; Pity in Roman officers is a crime To be punished more than murder in cold blood: Bear up. To tell me where I am, I take it, Is no offence. Capt. You are in Syracusa, In the court of the proconsul. Ant. Who? Marcellus? Capt. That noble Roman. By him you are sent for, But to what end I am ignorant. Ant. Ha! He was My creature, and, in my prosperity, proud To hold dependence of me, though I graced him With the title of a friend; and his fair lady In courtship styled my mistress. Can they be Infected with such barbarism as to make me A spectacle for their sport? Enter MARCELLUS, FLAMINIUS, CORNELIA, MOOR-WOMAN, and Servants. Capt. They are here, and soon They will resolve you. Mar. Be reserved, and let not The near resemblance of his shape transport you Beyond yourself; though I confess the object Does much amaze me. Corn. You impose, my lord, What I want power to bear. Mar. Let my example, Though your fierce passions make war against it, Strengthen your reason. Ant. Have you taken yet A full view of me? In what part do I Appear a monster? Corn. His own voice! Mar. Forbear. Ant. Though I were an impostor, as this fellow Labours you to believe, you break the laws Of fair humanity in adding to Affliction at the height; and I must tell you The reverence you should pay unto the shape Of King Antiochus may challenge pity As a due debt, not scorn. Wise men preserve Dumb pictures of their friends, and look upon them With feeling and affection, yet not hold it A foolish superstition; but there is In thankfulness a greater tie on you To show compassion. Mar. Were it possible Thou couldst be King Antiochus_____ Ant. What then? Mar. I should both say and do_____ Ant. Nothing for me (As far as my persuasion could prevent it) Not suiting with the quality and condition Of one that owes his loyalty to Rome; And since it is by the inscrutable will Of fate determined that the royalties Of Asia must be conferred upon her, For what offence I know not, 'tis in vain For men to oppose it. You express, my lord, A kind of sorrow for me, in which, madam, You seem to be a sharer. That you may Have some proof to defend it, for your mirth's sake I'll play the juggler, or more subtle gipsy, And to your admiration reveal Strange mysteries to you, which, as you are Romans, You must receive for cunning tricks, but give No farther credit to them, Flam. At your peril You may give him hearing; but to have faith in him Neighbours to treason. Such an impudent slave Was never read of. Mar. I dare stand his charms With open ears.Speak on. Ant. If so, have at you! Can you call to your memory, when you were At Sardis with Antiochus, before His Grecian expedition, what he, With his own hands, presented you as a favour, No third man by to witness it? Mar. Give me leave To recollect myself. Yessure 'twas so He gave me a fair sword. Ant. 'Tis true, and you Vowed never to part from it. Is it still In your possession? Mar. The same sword I have, And, while I live, will keep. Ant. Will you not say, It being four and twenty years since you Were master of that gift, if now I know it, Among a thousand others, that I have The art of memory? Mar. I shall receive it As no common sleight.Sirrah, fetch all the swords For mine own use in my armoury; and, do you hear? Do as I give directions. [Whispers. Serv. With all care, sir. [Exit. Ant. To entertain the time until your servant Returns, there is no syllable that passed Between you and Antiochus which I could not Articulately deliver. You must still Be confident that I am an impostor, Or else the trick is nothing. Re-enter Servant, with many swords. Corn. Can this be? Ant. O, welcome, friend. Most choice and curious swords, But mine is not among them. Mar. Bring the rest. Enter another Servant, with more swords. Ant. Ay, this is it: this is the sword I gave you Before I went to Greece. Be not amazed, Nor let this trifle purchase a belief I am Antiochus. Here is one will assure you These are but juggling tricks of an affronter. Flam. They are no more. A contract's sealed between The devil and this seducer, at the price Of his damned soul, and his familiar dæmon Acquaints him with these passages. Mar. I know not, But I am thunderstruck. Corn. I can contain Myself no longer. Ant. Stay, dear madam; though Credulity be excusable in your sex, To take away all colour of guilt in you, You shall have stronger proofs. The scarf you gave me, As a testimony you adopted me Into your service, I ware on mine armour, When I fought with Marcus Scaurus; and mine eye Hath on the sudden found a precious jewel You deigned to receive from me ... Which you wear on your ... Corn. I acknowledge It was the King Antiochus' gift. Ant. I will Make a discovery of a secret in it Of which you yet are ignorant. Pray you trust it, For King Antiochus' sake, into my hands. I thank your readiness. Nay, dry your eyes; You hinder else the faculty of seeing The cunning of the lapidary. I can Pull out the stone, and under it you shall find My name, and cipher I then used, engraven. Corn. 'Tis most apparent. Though I lose my life for't, These knees shall pay their duty. Ant. By no means; For your own sake be still incredulous, Since your faith cannot save me. I should know This Moorish woman. Yes, 'tis she.Thou wert One of my laundry, and thou wast called Zanthia While thou wert mine. I am glad thou hast lighted on So gracious a mistress. Moor-wo. Mine own king! O, let me kiss your feet. What cursèd villains Have thus transformed you? Flam. 'Tis not safe, my lord, To suffer this. Mar. I am turned statue, or All this is but a vision. Ant. Your ear, madam; Since what I now shall say is such a secret As is known only to yourself and me, And must exclude a third, though your own lord, From being of the counsel. Having gained Access and privacy with you, my hot blood (No friend to modest purposes) prompted me, With pills of poisoned language, candied o'er With hopes of future greatness, to attempt The ruin of your honour. I enforced then My power to justify the ill, and pressed you With mountainous promises of love and service: But when the building of your faith and virtue Began to totter, and a kind of grant Was offered, my then sleeping temperance Began to rouse itself; and, breaking through The obstacles of lust, when most assured To enjoy a pleasant hour, I let my suit fall, And, with a gentle reprehension, taxed Your forward proneness, but with many vows Ne'er to discover it, which Heaven can witness I have and will keep faithfully. Corn. This is The King Antiochus, as sure as I am The daughter of my mother. Mar. Be advised. Flam. This is little less than treason! Corn. They are traitors, Traitors to innocence and oppressed justice, That dare affirm the contrary. Mar. Pray you temper The violence of your passion. ... Corn. ....... but express Your thankfulness for his so many ... And labour that the Senate may restore him Unto his own; I'll die else. Ant. Live long, madam, To nobler and more profitable uses: I am a falling structure, and desire not Your honours should be buried in my ruins. Let it suffice, my lord, you must not see The sun, if, in the policy of state, It is forbidden. With compassion Of what a miserable king hath suffered, Preserve me in your memory. Flam. You stand as This sorcerer had bewitched you.Drag him to His oar, and let his weighty chains be doubled. Mar. For my sake, let the poor man have what favour You can afford him. Flam. Sir, you must excuse me. You have abused the liberty I gave you; [To ANTIOCHUS. But, villain, you pay dear for't.I will trust The execution of his punishment To no man but myself; his cries and groans Shall be my hourly music. So, my lord, I take my leave abruptly. Corn. May all plagues, That ever followed tyranny, pursue thee! Mar. Pray you stay a little. Flam. On no terms. Mar. Yield so much To my entreaties. Flam. Not a minute, for Your government! Mar. I will not purchase, sir, Your company at such a rate; and yet Must take the boldness upon me to tell you You must and shall stay. Flam. How! Mar. Nay, what is more, As a prisoner, not a guest. Look not so high; I'll humble your proud thoughts. Flam. You dare not do this Without authority. Mar. You shall find I have Sufficient warrant, with detaining you, To take this man into my custody. Though 'tis not in my power, whate'er you are, To do you further favour, I thus free you Out of this devil's paws. Ant. I take it as A lessening of my torments. Flam. You shall answer This in another place. Mar. But you shall here Yield an account without appeal for what You have already done. You may peruse .... [Hands him a letter. Shake you already? Do you find I have ...... Call in the Asian merchants. Enter 2nd and 3rd Merchants and Guards. ....... ...... now to be hanged ..... him that pities thee .... cusers ... die and will prove that you took bribes Of the Carthaginian merchants, to detain Their lawful prize; and, for your sordid ends, Abused the trust, committed by the state, To right their vassals. The wise Senate, as They will reward your good and faithful service, Cannot, in justice, without punishment Pass o'er your ill. Guiltiness makes you dumb; But, till that I have leisure, and you find Your tongue, to prison with him. Flam. I prove too late, As Heaven is merciful, man's cruelty Never escapes unpunished. [Exeunt Guards with FLAMINIUS. Ant. How a smile Labours to break forth from me! But what is Rome's pleasure shall be done with me. Mar. Pray you think, sir, A Roman, not your constant friend, that tells you You are confined unto the Gyaræ With a strong guard upon you. Re-enter Guard. Ant. Then 'tis easy To prophesy I have not long to live, Though the manner how I shall die is uncertain. Nay, weep not: since 'tis not in you to help me, These showers of tears are fruitless. May my story Teach potentates humility, and instruct Proud monarchs, though they govern human things, A greater power does raise, or pull down, kings! [Flourish. Exeunt. EPILOGUE. The end of epilogues is to inquire The censure of the play, or to desire Pardon for what's amiss. In his intent The maker vows that he is innocent; And, for me and my fellows, I protest, And you may believe me, we have done our best; And reason too we should: but whether you Conceive we have with care discharged what's due Rests yet in supposition; you may If you please resolve us. If our fate this day Prove prosperous, and you too vouchsafe to give Some sign your pleasure is this work shall live, We will find out new ways for your delight, And, to our power, ne'er fail to do you right. ^FOOTNOTE^ ^1^ Page 2 of the manuscript ended here; the second leaf, containing about 120 lines, was almost wholly missing. From the few prefixes and detached words and syllables remaining, and from the following speech, it may be gathered that Chrysalus, Syrus, and Geta, servants of Antiochus, come upon the scene, and despoil him of his money, jewels, and rich garments. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A SONG OF PLEASURE, FR. THE PICTURE by PHILIP MASSINGER EUDOCIA'S SONG, FR. THE EMPOEROR OF THE EAST by PHILIP MASSINGER THE CITY MADAM by PHILIP MASSINGER THE DUKE OF MILAN by PHILIP MASSINGER THE FATAL DOWRY by PHILIP MASSINGER THE FOREST'S QUEEN by PHILIP MASSINGER THE GREAT DUKE OF FLORENCE by PHILIP MASSINGER THE GUARDIAN by PHILIP MASSINGER THE MAID OF HONOUR by PHILIP MASSINGER |
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